Take our word for it. This place is deep. So deep in fact, that if Chiapas’ ancient Mayan ruins haven’t left you awestruck, then of a surety, it’s signature music, Marimba will have an indelible impact on your mind. Chiapas is a state best visited with an open mind, a yearning to appreciate the finer details in the prehistoric art and architecture. Its not a place where you expect a bustling nightlife, but it more than makes up for the deficit by having a real powerful energy sourced directly from the elements of nature. Welcome to the jungle, traveler.

Chiapas is colorful. It is evident in every piece of art you see here, prehistoric or not. Whether it is the cave paintings found in the La Sima de las Cotorras or the celebrated works of more modern artists such as Ramiro Jiménez Chacón and Héctor Ventura Cruz. If its extravagant ruins that you are after, then the historic city of Palenque would sure leave you in awe and wonder. Ancient times were one heck of a period, and Chiapas is one of the shining examples of them. If you have an ear for poetry, Chiapas has been the cradle for some of Mexico’s best poets, like Jaime Sabines and Rosario Castellanos.

The cuisine of Chiapas is not to be left out either. Food in this state derives heavily from the style of the indigenous people and makes heavy use of the chiplin, which is a strong flavored herb used to add spice to the food. You’d be a real hero if you manage to taste the immensely feared simojovel, which is chilly best avoided by regular mortals, so much so that it is rarely used. Besides this, the ubiquitous  Tamales and meat servings derived from European traditions form the bulk of Chiapas cuisine. Take our advice. Visit Chiapas. It’s mystical mountains and Mayan heritage are hard to resist..

There’s this bus that goes around the city of Chihuahua, called the Trolley el Tarahumara, that takes tourists and travelers around the city, showing them museums, monuments and all the places where a traveler might find his heart. The point in making here is not about the bus or the name 0f that bus, this little episode tells you that if a city could need the services of a bus to show tourists what’s around, it must be full of tourist attractions, and in fact, Chihuahua is. More so, if you are a history lover. Those in need of a good dose of history signs in the modern world, need look no further. Chihuahua is here for them.

First things first. a visit to Chihuahua would be grossly incomplete if you dont happen to visit the appropriately named Mammoth Museum, at Ave. Juarez. It is the city’s largest museum and has as much as 13 halls filled to the brim and indexed to  the last detail with everything historic and prehistoric. Dinosaurs, arts, people, evolution, in fact, everything related to the life on earth has been faithfully documented. But this is just the beginning. You would then want to visit the Seed Centre Museum of Science and Technology, the Museum of Republican Loyalty many others that would satiate your thirst for history.

The city also sports other attractions worth watching, like the famous Murals, the Government Palace, the City Hall, the Archdiocese and the Quinta Gameros. This however, is just a small list of things worth seeing in Chihuahua. The complete splendor is only experienced through the first hand visit. Take our recommendation. After you have gone through the historic parts and satisfied your appetite with monuments, watch a game of the local Dorados de Chihuahua, the city’s representative in the Mexican league. Bullfighting is the other option. Just remember that you are not gonna sit idle here..

There a re actually a lot of excuses to find yourself in the state of Durango. For one thing, it is the second least populous state in the whole country, (which means that there are other exciting avenues of enjoyment in store). Besides, Durango is full of color. If you get bored of one thing, you can hop onto another. The plethora of options is vast and fun filled. Whether you are an adventurer or a lily livered newcomer, Durango welcomes you with open arms. The state is a heady mix of arts, culture, nature and wildlife. All rolled into one.

Durango is known as the land of the Cinema, as is evident for the fact that during the 50s to the 70s, Durango was the hot hub of MexIcan Cinema. So, if you happen to have enjoyed a few Mexican movies, dont be surprised if deja vu strikes you as you roam around. But this si just the begining. Durango also boasts some of the most varied wildlife found in Mexico, chiefly the scorpions, whose variety and species will leave you stupefied(if you happen to be a scorpion lover, that is. More likely, you are a photographer). Having said that, turn your gaze and taste to the cuisine, and preparations like caldillo and marmalades will have you wanting for more.

For the people with adventure in their hearts, the great geographical features of Durango make sure that you can engage in a wide variety of outdoor adventures such as kayaking, abseiling, mountain biking, etc. Then you can visit gorges, waterfalls as deep as 80 ft. ( Salto del Agua LLovida is what we are talking about). Suffice to say, Durango is not a boring state in the least, and the best you can do to you Mexico vacation schedule is to come up here and open your heart t it’s true yearnings. No kidding.

You probably know what the Mariachi music means to Mexicans: Pride. Mariachi is a type of music similar to a small orchestra with trumpets and violins. The musicians that form a band are therefore called Mariachis, and they do they good care of dressing for the ocassion in custom suits which may remind you of those Matador suits that bullfighters use.

If you are in Mexico City and you want to really feel the excitement, the feeling of party, and hear some music that really moves you, you need to visit the Garibaldi Plaza. It´s close to the Historic Downtown sector of the city, you can ride the Metro Green line (or line number and take the Garibaldi direction, the Plaza is just outside of the Metro exit.

Now there´s one more attraction for you to visit Garibaldi: The Tequila and Mescal museum, which shows more than 400 types of this famous mexican product, and also serves as the Mariachi Cultural Center, where the Mariachi school is located.

The museum has two floors with crystal walls and covers an area of almost 24,000 sq ft. It has three sections; the first one has interactive videos in which the visitor can get familiar with the different types of agave plants, from which the tequila is acquired. The second section shows you in video the elaboration process of the tequila, as well as the tools used by farmers and workers, from the moment when the plant is harvested until it´s bottled and ready to be sold.

The final section is the tasting bar, where tourists and visitors alike can sip a sample of several tequilas and mescales. Remember, don´t drink in excess!

Their hours of operation are from Thursdays to Mondays, 11 am to 7 pm. On Tuesdays, the museum closes. The admission fee is 50 pesos, or 4 USD approximately.

Mexico has no dearth of great personalities. The more you delve into the country’s history, the more you’ll find an unending list of people who catapulted Mexico’s pride to great heights. If you dig into Mexican Cinema, and you dont really need to dig deep to find the name of one Jorge Negrete, one of Mexico’s finest actors and singers. A sub lieutenant from the El Colegio Militar (Mexico’s military academy), Jorge Negrete, during his short lifetime of 42 years, gave his country more than it could ever ask for. He literally colored the early part of the Mexican Cinema.

Since his birth in 1922. Jorge was a handsome, strong willed lad with a remarkable singing voice. After singing in several operas and television programs, Negrete garnered critical acclaim for his work in La Madrina Del Diablo (The Devil’s Godmother) in 1937. Since that film, there was no looking back for Negrete, who continued to deliver stellar performances in many of Mexico’s greatest blockbuster movies, notable among them being La Valentina and Juntos Pero No Revueltos. Hollywood was never far away, and he returned to Mexico to star in even more films like Ay Jalisco, No Te Rajes!. Negrete was now an international star..

More importantly, Negrete was the founder of the Mexican Artists Association, known as ANDA, and he was a true advocate of the rights of the actors. the women of his life have been as diverse as his personality itself(Married twice, to Elisa Christy and Gloria Martin). His death was an untimely and shocking event for the Mexican entertainment industry and fans alike(he died as part of Tres Gallos Mexicanos, or ‘Three Mexican Roosters( himself, Infante and Javier Solis). For your part, dear traveler, just listen to Mexico’s unofficial anthem Mexico Lindo Y Querido, sung by Negrete. You’ll get the the drift.

The big daddy of the birds of prey in the Northern part of the earth, the Golden Eagle means business, make no bones about the fact. So much, in fact, that when the Mexican Government came into effect, if could find no other bird of prey to match the grit of the country than the Golden Eagle. Hos majesty(the eagle’s of course) is an extremely agile and powerful demonstration of nature’s technical prowess. The Golden eagle is so devastating, it has been used by humans to take care of wolves, and as a result, this national bird of Mexico holds great reverence in the country.

Talking about a few basic technicalities, the golden eagle measures between 70-97 centimeters, and with the gigantic wings spread, can even go and dwarf 270 centimeters. That makes the golden eagle a truly huge and fearsome bird, accentuated by the dark brown color of it’s plumage. Females are generally larger than males (thats some wow factor into consideration) . Talk about diet, and the Golden Eagle can take in anything from hares and rabbits to lambs and even mountain goats. No wonder, the Golden eagle is feared so much by the wolves themselves (devils in the animal world). Word has it that even cubs of bears are not spared, sometimes, that is. Dont talk about eyesight. Golden eagles have natural binoculars fitted into their eye sockets.

These birds are faithful, and usually have one partner for a lifetime (lesson for us humans). They have had a strong relationship with humans because of the falconry traditions since the ages. The eagle was the aquila for the Roman legions and still, holds a prominent spot in many of mankind’s different civilizations, including Mexico, where it is the national bird. It is a symbol of bravery, dauntlessness and victory. Just take a look at the Mexican coat of Arms. Enough said.

Minimal is more. You gotta trust it. If you want to be awed by Mexico, if you want to lose yourself in architectural splendor, if you need to feel the highest energy in a natural setting, take our word, don’t go to the cities, don’t get lost in civilized settlements. Instead, pay a finer attention to the ruins of Mexico, the world famous remains of the great civilizations of the Mayas and Incas. Don’t give much to history, because if you do, you might as well take up architecture as a serious profession. No, just take a walk around. Ruins were never so much captivating.

You are guaranteed to be overawed by the sheer beauty presented by the magnificent architecture, as you go deeper into the ruined city that is Palenque. It was a great state that flourished way back in the 7th century when Science and Mathematics were niche segment of study. And yet, what you will deduct from the ruins is that, if a place could hold awe and impose a presence after close to 1500 years, the original model of Palenque must have been jaw dropping, with words unable to fully describe the untold beauty of the place. You bet.

If you visit Palenque, which you definitely should, their await for you wonders in the form of The Palace, Temple Of The Inscriptions and The Temples of  the Cross Group. The Temple of the Sun should be the cream of the crop. Important artifacts that show the Mayan culture and way of living have been wonderfully preserved and are a must visit too. Steep and voluminous stairs adorn each and every temple in Palenque, and will give you a glimpse of how hard working the Mayans really were. Their awe inspiring height and pure stone construction makes you wonder how these structures were actually built by elementary technology. Just one suggestion: Go for Palenque. It’s worth it.

What does color signify? Is it just a play of optics? Is it just a way to make the world vibrant? Or, is is it a way to visually distinguish one thing from another? No. Color signifies meaning that has far deeper implications than just the physical aspect. Color, in the most basic definition defines the nature of an entity. Different colors have different stories to tell. Blue makes the environment cool and serene while red makes it hot and energetic. White, on the other hand, is all about purity, cleanliness and honesty that is bare. Mérida, aptly called the white city, is just that.

It’s not that you will find white buildings and white cars and white monuments and everything white in this city, its just that the very meaning the color white gives, you will find here. Mérida is one heck of a clean city. Mérida was the American capital for culture in 2000. This statement says it all. Because of the geography of the region, Mérida and the rest of the country are isolated from each other enough to create a unique culture in the city itself. The Mayan tradition speaks louder than words here, and for the uninitiated, The Mayan culture is one of the greatest cultures in the history of the world.

What you should be looking for? Apart from cleanliness, which is ubiquitous, lend some ears to the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra at the Jose Peon Contreras Theatre. The orchestra is known for Jazz and classical music. Also, food is heavenly here. Just try resisting the likes of Pop Chuc, Sopa De Lima, Pevo En Relleno Negro and oh, before you forget, the immensely famous El Yucateco hot sauce. One last thing: Don’t forget to add the monumental finesse in your tour schedule. Sites like Barrio y Templo Parroquial de San Sebastián (1706) and the Monumento à la Patria (1956), to name a few, are one of their kind. But at heart, they are all white…

If its tradition you want, it is here. Any traveler seeking Mexican tradition to widen his/her knowledge horizons need look no further.  Guadalajara, situated in Jalisco is, if you please,one of the largest cities of Mexico, second only to the capital (Mexico City). In here you will find everything traditional there is to know about the whole country. Its a heady mix of the good old spice spliced with the idiosyncrasies of the modern age. Museums, art galleries,  the good ol’ cowboys and theatres, Guadalajara has it all checked.

Color in the form of culture exists in abundance in this city. More so if you are a fan of the underground arts scene and the new wave of electronic music. Besides this, the one thing you will quickly notice about Guadalajara is the traditional European architecture. Of particular interest to the wannabe traveler would be the Degollado Theater, the famous Metropolitan Cathedral and the World Heritage site Hospicio Cabañas (one of the oldest existing hospitals in the Spanish realm).  Had enough of the architecture? You can then divert your eyes (feast them, rather) on the shopping aspect of the city, which, in case you dont know, is paradise for those with an affinity to shopping. The world class plazas are testimony to that fact.

Then again, you can choose to visit surrounding towns and areas which are also bathed in tradition and draped in heavy color. Whether you are visiting the Huentitan Canyon or Tlaquepaque, or whether you are enjoying tequila in the Town of Tequila (Now you know the source of that liquid), Guadalajara will not disappoint. There’s more to this city than can be expounded in this article, but you can be sure of one thing, and this is best experienced first hand than read: Your stay in a quiet cozy cabin in the middle of a forest and a stint on the beach the very next day, will be an experience few other cities can provide, and that too, with a dash of style.